THE estimated cost of the long-awaited Mother and Baby Unit has been reduced from £11 million to £7 million, raising hopes that the project will now move closer to delivery.
The Belfast Trust has approved the Outline Business Case for a dedicated Mother and Baby Unit which would provide specialist mental health care for mothers experiencing severe postnatal mental illness while allowing them to remain with their newborn babies.
The new unit would be located at Belfast City Hospital.
Currently there is no Mother and Baby Unit anywhere in Ireland. As a result mothers suffering from conditions such as postnatal depression or postpartum psychosis are often separated from their babies and admitted to general psychiatric wards. Campaigners have long argued that this fails to protect the crucial early bond between mother and child.
West Belfast MLA Órlaithí Flynn, a member of the Assembly Health Committee and Sinn Féin spokesperson for mental health, welcomed the reduced cost and said it could help accelerate progress.
“I’m hopeful that this £4 million reduction will help push the project forward and that we will see a Mother and Baby Unit established here in the North imminently,” she said.
“It is vital that the Health Minister continues to prioritise this long-overdue unit so mothers can access the care they need without further delay, and without being separated from their babies.”
The Health Minister has said that his ability to commit funding to the project will depend on the Department’s capital allocation in the upcoming budget.
However, he confirmed that the unit remains a priority, stating that the project is “high up on my list of priorities” and that he is keen to progress it as soon as possible.
